A Forgotten Promise
by Fallen Angel0
Summary: After the world championships, Robert has yet another challenge for the Bladebreakers.... and so the five boys along with their friends from the All Stars and the White Tigers travel to meet this new team.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
After the world tournament..  
  
The Bladebreakers, the Majestics, the captains of the White Tigers and the All Stars were standing outside Robert's mansion; Robert had called a meeting. It had been a few days after the Bladebreakers' victory of defeating Biovault and stopping Voltaire from executing his plan to take over the world.  
  
"Well done, Tyson. For a while there, I did not actually believe you could beat Talla, and ruin Voltaire's scheme to control the world. " Robert congratulated.  
  
The boy in the red, white, and blue cap waved his hands, "Awww, it was no biggie. Shucks, any talented professional blader could've done it."  
  
"Oh come on!" Enrique exclaimed. "Quit acting so modest, everyone knew how tough the Demolition Boys were.. I mean not even the White Tigers team." he gestured to where Lee was standing, "and the All Stars could've won against the Russian team."  
  
"Well. I didn't exactly see you out there battling the Demolition boys." Lee smirked, the others tried but failed to suppress their laughter.  
  
The platinum blond scowled but before he could say anything, Robert stepped in. "Ahem.. as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted" he shot a glance at Enrique who merely shrugged his shoulders. "Now that Tyson, Kai, Max, and Ray are world class bladers, I was wondering perhaps you would like to have another bey challenge.against the team I have in mind." He added.  
  
At the mention of a beybattle with a strange new team, Tyson's eyes lit up. "Whaddaya think guys? I'm up for it, how about you?" Tyson turned to his teammates.  
  
The chief slowly nodded his head. "Yes, this should be an educational experience for you all. It will be a great chance for you to expand on your skills and learn more. You should always realize that no matter how good you are, there's always room for improvement."  
  
"Yeah! It'll be so totally awesome, besides we'll get to go sightseeing, and shopping, and tons more cool stuffs." The blond haired, blue eyed Bladebreaker jumped up to stand next to Tyson.  
  
Ray strolled over to where the rest of his teammates are, his eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement. "All right, count me in, this should be fun. The world tournament wasn't enough to satisfy me. A beybattle sounds good right about now."  
  
Tyson slapped him a high five. "Yeah!" He then turned to the lonesome figure leaning against the stone wall. "Well, Kai? Don't make the whole team wait for you! Come on buddy, give us your answer sometime today!"  
  
The silent gray blue haired boy glared at his taunting former enemy. "Humph, whatever, I don't care one way or another."  
  
Tyson grinned, knowing Kai for so long, he can tell what Kai is really saying; and right now it is obvious that Kai wants to meet this new challenge just as much as the rest of them.  
  
Robert, who had been watching the five boys' reaction to his announcement, cleared his throat again. "Since it has been decided, I suppose I should give you all some information on your opponents. The team you'll be battling against is in my opinion the very best team there possibly is. Which is why I was not afraid of Talla's team winning and of Biovault's plan. I knew that if things got out of hand, the Fallen Angels team would've taken care of them."  
  
"They have never lost a battle before, and are extremely tough. Each member in their team has reached a much higher level than any of us, except maybe for your team Tyson. Me, Robert, Enrique, and Johnny had beybattled with them before and let me say it wasn't exactly a victory for our side." Oliver said seriously from his spot on the chair.  
  
Johnny spoke up for the first time. "Stop being so long-winded Oliver. Look, they totally annihilated us, we didn't even stand a chance, not even Robert came close to even damaging their blades." Ignoring the warning look, he was getting from Robert, the spiked haired boy continued. "I'm telling you this for your own good, you guys wouldn't even last a minute with them."  
  
Enrique jumped up and went over to Max and Tyson. "And hey guess what.." He said in a stage-whisper, "their team is an all girls team. And let me tell ya, they're all very pretty." He winked and nudged Tyson, who blushed.  
  
While the others were heading back inside Robert's mansion, still discussing about the new team, Lee and Michael pulled Robert aside.  
  
"Excuse us Robert, but me and Lee are wondering why exactly did you call us to this meeting. I mean I can understand why the Bladebreakers are here but what does this have to do with us?"  
  
"It's simple really, I just thought that maybe you and your team would like to watch their battles and learn more for yourself." Lee raised an eyebrow. "I just think that this trip would do some good for your teams, I did not mean it as an insult, if that is the impression you are getting. I highly recommend that both of you think this opportunity over and discuss it with your teams. Return to me with your answer tomorrow." And with that, Robert excused himself, leaving two very thoughtful captains behind. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Later that evening, Lee called together his team for a meeting about whether to go with Kai's team or to choose to go back to their hometown. Lee leaned against the wall out on the balcony, with his black beyblade in his hand. 'Galeon, what do you think we should do? On one hand, I really want to see the Fallen Angels team, while on the other, I'm not sure whether the elders back at my hometown would approve.' His beyblade glowed, as if trying to answer him. Suddenly the glass door leading onto the balcony opened, the Chinese beyblader looked up and smiled as his teammates walked out.  
  
First there was Mariah, the only female on his team. Dressed in Chinese styled clothing with a baby-pink sweater tied around her waist and her long pink hair swept in a ponytail, she is the perfect picture of innocence. But unfortunately, you can't judge a book by its cover, which is definitely the case here; quick-tempered and somewhat cocky, she is one vicious blader with her cougar bitbeast, Gallux.  
  
Next to come was Gary, a huge boy with a Mohawk styled haircut. Even though he can look intimidating, Lee knows that he is very gentle and will never harm anything on purpose. Gary is not exactly the brightest compared to the rest of his teammates, but his kindness makes up for it. His red bear bitbeast Galzzy is just like him, big and strong, it can usually defeat its opponents with ease.  
  
Last but not least was the short, green-haired, amethyst-eyed blader known as Kevin. Kevin is the youngest and most inexperienced one out of all of them. His medium length hair is also tied into a ponytail, but unlike Mariah's, it sticks straight out. His usual outfit consists of a loose turquoise shirt and matching knee-length shorts, a white bag slung casually around his shoulders complete the look. His monkey bitbeast Galman uses an attack called Crazy Monkey to confuse his opponents and then goes in for the kill. Shrewd and keen, Kevin is among the most skilled bladers.  
  
"So why did you call us here Lee?" Mariah asked, disrupting Lee's thoughts.  
  
Lee took a deep breath, unsure of how to begin. "Do you remember today in the morning when Robert called the Bladebreakers, Michael, and I for a meeting?" The others nodded their heads; they had wondered what was the big secret. "Well, he wanted to see if Tyson's team would want another challenge, against a team called the Fallen Angels. Robert asked Michael and me if we would like to tag along with the Bladebreakers.."  
  
"So, what's the problem?" Kevin interrupted from his place on the floor. "Why don't we just go?"  
  
Sighing, Mariah went over to Kevin. "The problem, Kevin, is that the elders don't know about this. Remember? We were only allowed to enter the World Tournament, they might not want us to go see this new team. Isn't that right Lee?" She turned to look at her team captain.  
  
"Yes, that is correct."  
  
"What is your opinion on this?" Gary looked at Lee.  
  
"I believe Robert is right, he told me that this would be a great opportunity for our team to learn more and to meet other skilled beybladers from around the world. The elders back home had cooped us up for too long, we will never improve if we stay in just one place."  
  
"Why don't we just go? The elders had changed greatly, I'm sure they would understand how important this is to us." Mariah suggested.  
  
Lee slowly thought about her idea. "Mariah, you're partially right, but I'm not so sure about just leaving without letting them know, they would surely worry about us."  
  
Silence settled upon their little group, each trying to come up with some sort of a plan.  
  
"Aha, I've got it" Kevin yelled. "Oohh this is such a good idea." He started prancing around the others. "Ya, this will solve our problem," he continued to talk to himself, while his team members stared.  
  
Mariah impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for Kevin to unfold his plan. Finally, she could not take it anymore, "Well, are you going to share your brilliant idea with the rest of us or not?"  
  
The dark-green haired boy couldn't help but grin. "Okay, here's my idea. Why don't two of us go back home to explain to the elders, while the rest of the team goes with Tyson? I mean, like Lee said before, we're only going to observe, so we don't really need the whole team there." He began pacing around the balcony. "Plus, once the two members get back, they can teach the other two all they had learned. So what do you guys think? Am I a genius or what?" Kevin turned to friends; the goofy smile still plastered on his face.  
  
"Not bad, I'm surprised you came up with such a good idea," Mariah teased her smaller companion.  
  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Gary walked up to Mariah and Kevin, "But how do we figure out who goes where?"  
  
"Um good question Gar." scratching his head, he looked at Lee, who was still leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed. "Um, Lee? You're our leader, what's your decision?"  
  
"Me and Mariah will be going to check out the Fallen Angels." Lee stated.  
  
"Yes," Mariah cheered.  
  
"That's fine with me," Gary said.  
  
"Bu..but that's not fair!" Kevin whined. "I thought I would get to go. I was the one who came up with the great plan. Shouldn't I deserve some credit? Come on, pretty please? With sugar and candy and chocolate syrup on top?" He continued his wheedling, turning to Lee and Mariah.  
  
"But Kevin, you were the one who said Lee was our leader, and that it was his decision," Mariah said in a sugary sweet voice. "So why are you complaining about his decision?"  
  
Kevin pouted. "Fine, I'll go with Gary, but I'm not happy about this," he threatened.  
  
"Awww, thanks Kevy, I knew you'll understand," the pink beyblader hugged Kevin.  
  
Lee stepped away from his position against the wall and headed back inside. "Good, now that we have it all planned out, I suggest we go back to our rooms and get a good night's sleep. Rest well."  
  
"Sweet dreams," Mariah said.  
  
"Good night," Gary bid.  
  
"Ya. ya.. good night," Kevin grumbled. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
While the White Tigers team were discussing on who's going where. The All Stars too were debating on whether to go see this new team or not.  
  
The All Stars team and Judy were sitting in the middle of one of Robert's living rooms. There's Emily sitting on the sofa, the information collector for their team; she is not only a skilled beyblader, she is also a very good tennis player. Her bitbeast is an alligator that goes by the name of Trygator. Not long ago, during the American tournament, all she cared about was winning; she paid little attention to teamwork. But ever since their team's defeat, she had begun to finally realize the importance of her teammates, and is now happily cooperating with them.  
  
Steve was sitting beside Emily. Famous for rough blading and his favorite sport football, he is one tough customer. In fact he was kicked off his old football team because of his poor sportsmanship. Like the rest of his team buddies, he too has a bitbeast, a bull type spirit called Tryhorn, and it is not exactly what you would call friendly.  
  
Standing by the window was the All Stars tallest member, Eddie. He is dressed in a red basketball jersey with yellow and white stripes down the sides and with matching shorts. Eddie is a happy, good-natured basketball player who, with his scorpion bey-partner, Trypio, can defeat any opponent with its deadly poison sting attack. He uses a basketball beyblade launcher to give his yellow blade extra spin speed.  
  
Their team captain, Michael lounged on another sofa, casually tossing a baseball in the air. He wore a blue and white baseball cap and is dressed in baggy brown shorts and a white jacket with a red, blue, and yellow design. His orange blade contains one of the most powerful beasts, a golden eagle known as Trygle. His baseball launcher is designed to give it more speed and rapid rotation.  
  
In the middle of their little group was a blond woman, Judy. She was the director of the All Stars and a brilliant beyblade scientist, and ironically she is also Max's mother. Although training the All Stars take up most of her time, she still manages to squeeze in some time for her son.  
  
"I say we go," the feisty orange haired blader said as soon as Michael had filled them in. "If this team is as good as Robert says they are, then it will be a great chance for us to collect information."  
  
"Now hold on Emily, lets discuss this first." Judy said. "I know you have all been working very hard lately. You had trained relentlessly for both the American and the world championships.."  
  
"That's okay.." Michael started to interrupt but Judy held up a hand to silence him.  
  
"And I would understand if you want to take a break from all this."  
  
Eddie rubbed his neck, "I'm glad you said that Judy, cause I feel like I've been pushing myself too hard these days, and I would like to take some time off, to relax and all you know?"  
  
"Hey I can so totally understand you man, I feel the same way, but we're willing to go if you really want us to," the big football player added, looking over at Judy and Michael.  
  
Michael smiled, knowing full well that Steve didn't really want to go, "All right man, you don't have to.." A look of relief came crashing over Eddie and Steve. "But I for sure definitely want to."  
  
"Then you should go, it's not like the whole team have to be there, do we?" Eddie asked uncertainly.  
  
Michael laughed and shook his head. But then he turned to Judy. "What about you Judy? Are you with me and Em, or with the other two lazy-bums over there." His teammates glared at him, but Michael only chuckled some more.  
  
To all of their surprise, the blond woman blushed. "Uh. actually I was kind of hoping to take a few days off myself."  
  
Michael and Emily's jaw dropped, while Eddie and Steve slapped a high five and smirked.  
  
"Oh, uh well, this is interesting" Emily stuttered. "I guess it's just going to be me and Mike then."  
  
"Sorry if I let you guys down" Judy apologized, looking down at her feet.  
  
Michael went over and gave her a comforting pat on the arm. "It's no problem, we can manage without you guys, and besides, when we come back, Emily can show you all the data she'd collected. Right Em?"  
  
Nodding, Emily pushed her glasses back up, "Yup, no problem Judy, just leave everything to us."  
  
"Okay then, it's time for you guys to be heading back your rooms now. Sleep well."  
  
"Good night," they all chorused. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
In a particularly large room in Robert's mansion, lay the Bladebreakers.  
  
The moon shone through the balcony window, illuminating the five world champions. It was a clear, calm night; the stars outside sparkled brightly against the velvet cloak of the night.  
  
First of all, there was Tyson, the most active member of their team. He uses a happy-go-lucky style of blading, he never plans ahead, but as luck would have it, he rarely lost. Of course, the fact that he owns a powerful dragon type bitbeast might have contributed to his "luck." His blue, red, and white blade is put together by Kenny, and is made of a special alloy built to withstand the strongest attacks. His outfit consists of a red and white jacket, yellow t-shirt, loose dark blue shorts, and a baseball cap.  
  
In another bed, was Kenny, also known as the chief. Although he does not participate in the competitions, he is still a vital member to the team. He has unruly brown hair and is outfit is a simple white shirt with a green tie, and purple shorts. Kenny's dream is to try to collect as much information on his favorite sport as possible, and being on the Bladebreakers has given him just the opportunity. He keeps his data in a talking laptop. Actually the laptop doesn't speak; it's his bitbeast, Dizzy that does. Unfortunately, Kenny had somehow trapped his own beast spirit inside his computer. Dizzy is Kenny's partner, she helps him find information, put together different blade combinations, and to help devise new strategies.  
  
Across from the chief was the former White Tigers' member. His long black hair is tied into a low ponytail, which extended all the way down to his waist; a red headband with a yin-yang emblem at the front, keeps his long bangs from getting in the way. His Drigger bit power had been passed down from many generations in Lee's family. As fate would have it, it was him who had been presented with this sacred tiger bit instead of his friend Lee. Ray had been through a tough time with his former team members a while back. They had accused him of stealing the white tiger and of betraying their hometown. Ray had tried his best to convince them that their accusations were wrong, but it took until after the Asian tournaments to prove to the White Tigers that he left their town in order to learn new skills and to perfect his blading. With that situation settled, he and his old friends have finally accepted each other again.  
  
The fourth Bladebreakers was blond haired, blue eyed Max, who was currently sleeping on the bed beside Ray's. Max uses a defensive style when it comes to blading, after all, "A good defense is the best offense." His Draciel bitbeast is built just for that purpose; it has an iron like defense, enabling it to wear down his opponent first and then finishing it off. Max has a very friendly and positive attitude towards everything; it's no wonder that he is able to make friends with his teammates so easily.  
  
Last but not least was the mysterious boy, Kai. Kai was the Bladebreakers' team captain and is also the strongest one of them all. He uses a red and blue blade that contains the power of a red phoenix known as Dranzer. He wears a loose navy blue pant, a black sleeveless shirt with red trimmings, and around his neck is a long white scarf. Unlike the rest of his team, he is quite and reserved. He remembers little about his past. Trained to be the perfect beyblader by his grandfather Voltaire and his team of scientists, Kai had been raised only to beyblade. As he grew up, he realized what his grandfather was doing to him, and decided to escape the horrible abby where he had to endure hours of training. In his childhood, he had no time for meaningless things such as friends, and even now in a team, he does not care about his team members. He rarely talks to them and prefers to keep a fair amount of distant between himself and his team. During the World Tournament, Kai had finally figured out how important the others were. Even when he had betrayed them and joined the Demolition Boys' team in order to gain a powerful bitbeast, his teammates still wanted him back and was willing to forgive him. Little by little, Kai began to warm up to his teammates, growing to like them, though he still tried to hide it.  
  
Tyson twisted and turned, unable to fall asleep. 'How the heck am I supposed to fall asleep? I'm too stoked to meet the Fallen Angels, especially how Robert had raved over them.' Tyson groaned and flipped onto his back, staring at the ceiling. 'I wonder what kind of bit powers they have? Oh well, I'm sure me and Dragoon can handle whatever they dish out. Nothing can beat us.' He let out a soft laugh. But what happens if we can't? No, no, don't even think about that. Think positive, positive, positive.' Tyson sat up, "Aaarrghh. Why can't I fall asleep?" he shouted.  
  
"Gee, Tyson. It's not like anyone else can fall asleep, we're all too psyched to check this new team out." Ray said from his bed, focusing his orange eyes on his noisy teammate.  
  
"Or maybe we can't fall asleep because of Tyson's twisting and turning and groaning and all those other annoying sounds he made." Kai said sarcastically. Tyson stuck his tongue out at him.  
  
"Do you guys think that this team is as tough as Robert says? I mean I can't imagine how anyone can be tougher than the Demolition boys." Max paused for a second, "Oh yeah, except for us I mean," Max blushed, completely forgetting the fact that they beat the Russian team.  
  
Kenny too sat up in bed. "I don't know, but we better get back to sleep, otherwise we wouldn't be at our best to fight this new challenge. Okay Tyson?"  
  
Hearing a strange sound coming from Tyson's area, the others turned to see what it was. Kenny groaned, while Max and Ray laughed. Already asleep, was Tyson; halfway out of his blanket with his right leg and hand dangling over the edge of his bed.  
  
"Oh man, can he snore any louder?" Max covered his ears with a pillow.  
  
"Great, one moment he was complaining about not getting any sleep and the next, he's snoring his head off. Well, we'd all better get to sleep now, otherwise we'd never be able to." Kenny said, as Tyson's snores grew louder. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
The sky turned a brilliant mixture of orange, red, pink, and purple, as the golden orb slowly rose, bathing everything in a heavenly glow. Fluffy, marshmallow clouds peppered the sky, and somewhere in the distant, a bird sang its morning song.  
  
Tyson was dreaming about his favorite thing to do, next to beyblading of course. 'Wow chocolate cakes, ice-cream sundaes, cookies, candies, chips, and so much more. If this is a dream, please don't wake me up!' Suddenly, he felt something soft hit his face, "Oof! Huh? Whatsthematter? What's happening?" Tyson groggily rubbed his eyes.  
  
Kenny sighed. He had been trying to get Tyson to wake up for the last five minutes. He had tried to be gentle, but oh no, Tyson wouldn't listen to him, and so the chief had to use brute force and chucked a pillow at his face.  
  
"Hey, what's the big idea? Don't you know it's rude to bean people in the face, especially when they don't know about it?" Tyson grumbled. He was not a morning boy.  
  
"Tyson, we're running late. The others are already downstairs eating breakfast.." As soon as Kenny said the word breakfast, Tyson quickly ran to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and changed his clothes in record time.  
  
"Yeah, breakfast here I come," he shouted to no one in particular as he raced down the stairs, taking two at a time.  
  
"Yup, nothing puts the pep in Tyson like the mention of food." Kenny ran after his now hyperactive friend into the kitchen where the Majestics, All Stars, White Tigers, and the rest of the Bladebreakers were.  
  
"Good morning everyone," Kenny greeted as he slid into a chair. Everyone smiled and returned the greeting, with the exception of Tyson, who was too busy stuffing his face to spare anyone a second.  
  
Soon after breakfast was finished, Robert led everyone into one of his many living rooms to discuss on the trip.  
  
"Allow me to confirm this one last time. The people who will be going are the Bladebreakers, Lee and Mariah, and Michael and Emily. Correct?"  
  
"Uh huh," Tyson nodded his head vigorously, "That's right, so when do we get going?"  
  
"Bit impatient aren't we?" Enrique poked Tyson in the side teasingly.  
  
"I've been waiting forever for this! Of course I'm impatient."  
  
"You know, there's a big difference between yesterday and forever," Ray said with a small smile.  
  
Shrugging his shoulders, the world champion replied "Ya, well it's all the same to me."  
  
"You can get started as soon as all your bags are packed. Also, I forgot to mention that me and my team would not be attending with you." Robert said. Everyone was shocked to hear this.  
  
"But if you're not going with us, how will we be able to find the Fallen Angels?" Mariah asked, confused.  
  
Enrique stepped in front of Robert "Let me answer this one, Robert old chap. It is all taken care of." He raised his index finger. "You see, we will phone the team first, telling them to expect your arrival, that way, when you reach the airport, they will immediately recognize you and escort you back to their home to do battle. Are we geniuses or not? Pretty smart huh?" Johnny rolled his eyes and Oliver groaned.  
  
With that, everyone packed up for their destinations. Two hours later, they stood at the airport, each going their separate ways, each saying their good-byes.  
  
"See you soon okay Gary, Kevin?" Mariah said sadly, hugging her two friends.  
  
"All right, have fun you two, and don't forget you promised to teach us all that you've learned." Gary hugged Mariah back and shook hands with Lee.  
  
"Remember you owe me one. Next time I get first pick. Good bye," Kevin said.  
  
Lee smiled at his lifelong friends and teammates. "Don't you worry, we'll be back before you know it. Just make sure you tell the elders. Take care of yourselves, my friends."  
  
Meanwhile, a little bit away from the tigers team, were the All Stars.  
  
Michael looked at Eddie and Steve, "Well old buddies, guess I'll be see you guys later huh?"  
  
Steve patted Michael hard on the back, "Catch you guys back in U.S."  
  
Eddie grinned and waved, "Don't have too much fun now, you hear?"  
  
"You too Eddie." Emily returned back with a laugh. "I'll miss you guys."  
  
Judy smiled and hugged Emily, "Good-bye Emily, Michael. Remember to collect at least some information. Don't spend all your time fooling around."  
  
After saying all their farewells, the group of friends started to go their own, separate ways.  
  
"Max be careful." Judy warned her son.  
  
Max ran over for one last quick hug. "I'm so going to miss you mom. I'll see you when I get back." Hurrying back to his team, Max waved goodbye.  
  
In the center of all this hustle and bustle were the Majestics. "Good bye friends, and Bladebreakers, I wish you the best of luck." Robert bid.  
  
The Majestics walked back to where Robert's limousine was waiting, while the rest of the All Stars and White Tigers went towards their designated planes to go back home and the Bladebreakers with Lee, Mariah, Michael, and Emily headed towards their next adventure with the Fallen Angels. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Hours passed and soon the Bladebreakers, along with their friends had finally landed.  
  
"Land, we reached land." Tyson shouted joyously throwing his hands in the air, attracting stares from people at the airport.  
  
Kenny blushed bright red as he pulled Tyson along to retrieve their bags. 'Boy, people probably think Tyson has never seen land before in his life. How embarrassing.'  
  
"Where do you think this team is?" Michael asked. He scanned the crowd, trying to find the missing team.  
  
Lee looked around, but couldn't see anyone that resembled a team. Mariah was getting frustrated by the minute. "Where are they?" she fumed after waiting for twenty minutes. "This is scary, we're all alone in a foreign country, not knowing anyone and not having any money."  
  
Ray came and put a comforting arm around his friend and tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't worry about it Mariah. Maybe their just late, let's wait for a couple more minutes." But after ten more minutes had passed, the former White Tiger member was beginning to feel nervous himself. 'What's going on here? Did Robert forgot to call or did something else happen? They should not have taken this long to get to the airport.'  
  
Kai walked to the where the others were sitting, "Listen, they're obviously not coming. So let's just find some kind of shelter before nightfall." He turned around and started towards the exit, not looking back to see if the others were following or not.  
  
Max looked at Tyson, who shrugged and looked at Kenny. "Ahem, well seeing that the team isn't here, I guess Kai's suggestion is the best option we could choose."  
  
Tyson stamped his feet and crossed his arms, " Man, what a rip. Some trip this was, what a waste of time! And where exactly are we going? It's not like we know anyone here."  
  
"I think Kai is leading us to the Beyblade Battle Association Office. The people who work there are hired specifically to help beybladers. I'm sure they can get us into a hotel until we can locate the new team." Emily replied. The rest of the little group trudged out of the airport and followed Kai.  
  
Sure enough, Kai led them into the BBA Office, where they were able to be booked into a hotel. The girl at the counter informed them that they would be trying to get in contact with Robert.  
  
"What a trip, huh guys?" Tyson said as he flopped down on his bed. "Boy, I'm pooped. Hey, by the way Kai, how did you know where the BBA Office was anyway."  
  
"I asked the people at the airport, while you were sitting down, doing nothing."  
  
"Whatever, I'm too tired to argue with you. Good night, I'm hitting the sack." Tyson immediately fell asleep. He was soon followed by the rest of his team.  
  
The next day, after a satisfying breakfast, the little group decided to split up and search the city for the Fallen Angels whereabouts.  
  
"Come on Max, Kenny, hurry up will you?" The kid in the red and white jacket cried waving at the two boys behind him. "The sooner we find that team, the sooner we can beybattle." Racing around a blind corner at the speed of light, Tyson collided with somebody else.  
  
"Ooww!"  
  
"Tyson, see, look at the trouble you've just caused." Kenny berated his friend, running up to him.  
  
Tyson sat on the floor rubbing his head. "Ouch! That hurts."  
  
"Hey why don't you watch it?" A girl with dark red, wavy chin-length hair shouted. "What kind of a person would go racing around at top speed like that?"  
  
"Sorry," Tyson held out his hand to help the girl up.  
  
"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" The girl continued, not accepting Tyson's apology. "Ooww, my leg." Looking the girl's leg, Tyson realized that it was bleeding.  
  
"Do you want me to take you back home?" Tyson asked concerned.  
  
The girl looked at him, "Humph, no thanks. I can walk by myself." As soon as she shifted her weight on her injured foot, she winced in pain.  
  
Kenny squatted down to look at her injury. "Hmmm, it's not that serious, but I think we should take you home miss. It's the least we could do, after Tyson knocked you down like that."  
  
After several more minutes of convincing from Max and Kenny, (Tyson was perfectly willing to leave the girl right where she was), she allowed them to help her back home.  
  
"Th..this is your house?" Tyson asked in awe as he stared up at the biggest house he had ever seen, it was even larger than Robert's mansion.  
  
The girl seemed amused at all three of their reactions. "Yes, this is my house."  
  
Kenny pressed the intercom and told the butler about their situation and the glittering front gates slowly opened. Walking up to the front door, Max was about to knock when the butler burst open the door and ran out, concerned for his mistress sake.  
  
"Miss Susaku are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine, just a little bit injured though." The butler swiftly scooped up the girl and carried her inside, with the Bladebreakers tagging along behind.  
  
"You may all make yourselves comfortable here, until the mistress gets back," the butler gestured to a enormous living room filled with overstuffed couches and covered with a rich plush royal red carpet. The walls were covered with exquisite paintings and the lights created a soft yet cheery atmosphere.  
  
"Wow," Max breathed. "This is so amazing."  
  
"Hi, who are you three?" a soft voice asked, startling the three boys.  
  
The Bladebreakers turned around to see a girl with long chestnut brown hair standing in the doorway. Her long, soft blue skirt and matching top brought out the color of her sea blue-green eyes. She seemed surprised to see the boys sitting there.  
  
Kenny stood up, "My name is Kenny and these are my two friends Tyson and Max."  
  
"Nice to meet you, my name is Cassandra, but you may call me Cassie. So what are you all doing here anyway? Are you friends of Susaku?" She walked over to sit down on the couch.  
  
So Kenny, Max, and Tyson told Cassie all about their run in with Susaku, and when they finished, Cassie laughed. "Don't mind Su, she can be a little high strung at times. Why don't you stay for dinner? As a thanks for taking such good care of my temperamental friend." They agreed. A noise came from the doorway to the living room and Cassie looked up to see Susaku limping out, her right leg wrapped in gauze. "Are you all right now?"  
  
"I'm fine," she noticed the three boys sitting on the couch "Are you guys still here?" Max laughed sheepishly while Tyson stood up angrily.  
  
"Su, they brought you back here, be nice." Cassandra smiled. "In fact, I've already invited them for dinner."  
  
"You what?!"  
  
"Well, ya. These are our new friends. What's the problem?"  
  
Susaku let out an exasperated groan. "Whatever Cassie, I'll be outside training." With one last huff, she left the room.  
  
"Boy, she sure was grateful" Tyson whispered to his blond companion, who laughed again. "So where's she going?" Tyson asked Cassie, sitting back down.  
  
"To practice her blading. I probably should go too."  
  
"Wow, you guys beyblade too? How cool!" Max exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, are you beybladers?" Cassie asked, mildly surprised.  
  
"Of course," Tyson stood up. "You're looking at the winners of the Asian, American, and the world tournament champions." He thumped his chest with his hand. His teammates groaned and pulled their egotistical friend back down.  
  
Cassie smiled, "Do you guys want to come see our training center? And maybe we could even get in a battle or two."  
  
"Yah, super idea. Let's go, you just lead the way." The bladebreakers stood up and followed Cassie.  
  
"All right." Cassandra grinned. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
As Tyson, Max, and Kenny got ready to battle their newfound friends, the rest of their team, the All Stars and White Tigers sat in the Bladebreakers room back at the hotel.  
  
Emily glanced at her watch. "Hmmm, they're late. Wonder what's taking them so long?"  
  
Michael shrugged his shoulders, "Don't worry about them, I'm sure they'll show up soon enough." He flopped down on one of the beds.  
  
"Do you think they got into some kind of trouble?" Ray asked, concerned.  
  
"If they did, it's no surprise with Tyson's big mouth on the loose."  
  
"Kai! That's not nice." Mariah scolded from her spot beside Ray. But the silent boy just ignored her.  
  
"Do you think we should go out and look for them?" Lee asked. "Or should we stay here and wait?"  
  
"Let's stay Lee, I'm too tired, my legs feel like jelly after trying to search for this mystery team for the entire day." Mariah said, massaging her legs.  
  
"Sure, why don't we just stay, I'm positive they'll come back soon." Ray said, and so they retired to their rooms.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, at Susaku's mansion..  
  
"Here it is boys, our training center" Cassie gestured to a huge area surrounded by trees, filled with all kinds of training equipment, in the very center of it was a gigantic stadium. "This is our backyard."  
  
"Wow. Oh my gosh, it is beautiful." Kenny looked around, flowers dotted the plateau here and there, trees filled with chirping birds were everywhere, and in the distant, sounds of water could be heard. Kenny breathed; the air was so fresh and clean, like it had been scrubbed.  
  
"This is your backyard?" Tyson asked in amazement. He couldn't even see where this place ended; it seemed to stretch on forever.  
  
"There's so much training equipment, it's hard to know what to try first." Max gazed at the array of apparatus scattered on the lush grass. "I wanna try them all!"  
  
"Do you wish to battle first?" Cassie suggested.  
  
"Yeah, let's beybattle!" Tyson ran to the stadium dish.  
  
"Su, we're going to have a battle, come join us." The brown haired girl waved to her friend who was training in the distance. She smiled as her friend slowly made her way towards them, hobbling slightly.  
  
"All right, so who's going to be more first victim?" Tyson grinned at Susaku and Cassie.  
  
Susaku took her place opposite of Tyson at the dish, "Okay hotshot, let's see what you're made of."  
  
Kenny sat behind Tyson and opened up his laptop, focusing his camera on the stadium, "Dizzy, we need your help." Kenny called to his trapped bitbeast.  
  
"Ever thought about knocking before you ask for help?" The female beast teased. "Just kidding chief, okay I'm ready to help."  
  
Max stood in between Susaku and Tyson. He raised his hand "3...2...1...let it rip." He brought his hand crashing down, just as the two competitors released their blades.  
  
"Come on out Dragoon" Tyson commanded his bitbeast, ready to get this show on the road. His beyblade glowed and in a sudden flash of light, there stood Dragoon, in all his glory. Tyson wasted no time with formalities as he ordered his blade to go straight in for the kill. Just as Dragoon came rushing at Susaku's red and silver beyblade, in the nick of time, with just millimeters to spare, the blade vanished. The sudden disappearance threw Tyson off his game and sent his Dragoon careening crazily.  
  
"Whoa, what happened Chief?" Tyson rubbed his eyes. 'One minute I was about to win, the next this happens. Come on Dragoon, pull it together.' Tyson thought, while trying to regain control. He looked up at Susaku and found her laughing at him. 'Aarrrgggh! He fumed silently. Just you wait.'  
  
Kenny typed as fast as he could, "Dizzy can you tell me what just took place in the dish? Where did the other blade go?"  
  
"No problem. It's all very interesting really. You see; Susaku's blade rotation was so rapid that it seemed to completely vanish from sight. Her style of launching and her launcher itself must have given her a boost in spin speed. In other words, Tyson's in big trouble."  
  
Kenny gasped as he looked at Susaku and realized that Dizzy was right; Tyson's in over his head. 'And the weird thing is that Susaku doesn't even seem to be trying, and already she has the world champ sweating buckets.'  
  
Yawning, Susaku smirked at her so-called opponent, "Had enough yet? Or shall I turn it up a notch?" 'This is too easy, and to think that this is the best of the best. Hah, some champions they are.' "Watch and learn Tyson," she shouted to her competitor. A flash of silver light appeared as Susaku called out her own bitbeast. "Lets go Shaaya." The Bladebreakers gasped in awe as her snow leopard bitbeast towered over them.  
  
'No way! Just how am I supposed to beat that thing? It's gigantic!' But being his usual stubborn self, Tyson would not let his cocky opponent see that he's afraid. "Is that all you've got?"  
  
Kenny groaned as his teammate continued to challenge Susaku. "Dizzy, please tell me there's some way to defeat that bitbeast."  
  
"Sorry Chief, there's not enough time for me to do a complete analysis on her blade to form a strategy."  
  
Enraged by Tyson's words, the red haired girl's temper flared up. "You think you stand a chance? Well see if you can block this attack. Shaaya..Snowstorm!" Her silver bitbeast roared and sent its attack crashing towards Dragoon and Tyson.  
  
"Th..there's no way to escape. I..I'm toast." Knowing he can't do anything else, Tyson stood and faced his defeat. Moments later, the white and blue dragon beyblade lay several feet outside of the stadium, on the grass covered ground. Walking over to his blade, the young teen picked it up, 'What happened? How did I let her defeat me?' He stared at his blade, gripping it tightly.  
  
Max went over to his friend, unsure of what to say or how to comfort him; he hesitantly placed his hand on Tyson's shoulder. "It's okay. Besides you were awesome, I've never seen such an intense battle." Tyson smiled a bit.  
  
Kenny stood and went over to the dish. "Guys, come here," he called, his voice urgent. They ran to the Chief, stopping dead in their tracks when they saw the silver blade spinning as if nothing had happened.  
  
"No way!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Susaku stepped down into the stadium and placed her hand over her blade. When it stopped spinning she picked it up and climbed back out to face Tyson. "That was a good battle." She held out her hand, and a grumpy Tyson shook it.  
  
"Not bad Susaku," Cassie commented.  
  
"No sweat," She replied flicking her hair back.  
  
Kenny went up to the Susaku. "How much strength did you use in that battle? Because it didn't look like you even tried very hard." Tyson looked up at Kenny, jaw dropping.  
  
Susaku thought about it for a moment, "Hmmm, hard to say, I guess I used around 20%. Why the surprise?" She asked, noting the look of absolute shock on the boys' faces. "No offense Tyson, but the battle was not all that difficult. "  
  
"Not that difficult? Compared to who? The world's best blader?" Tyson shouted. Max tried to calm Tyson but to no avail.  
  
She merely shrugged, "Compared to our team leader, Jo. Isn't that right Cassie?" Her friend nodded in response.  
  
Pausing to release his friend, Max looked at the girls. "Team leader? You guys are part of a beyblading team?"  
  
"Ooops, sorry. I forgot to tell you guys that." Cassie said blushing. "Actually we're the best team around here, I'm not bragging or anything, but it's true. Our team is the Fallen Angels."  
  
"You're the Fallen Angels?" The boys asked in unison, shock was displayed clearly on each of their faces.  
  
The two girls seem surprised at such a huge reaction from them. "I can understand why this is such a surprise to you guys, but why are you so shocked?"  
  
"Y..y...you.you're.." Tyson stuttered, unable to get anything else out.  
  
Max seemed to be just as much at a lost as his teammate. He was only able to stand there and point his finger at the girls, uttering to himself, "No way. No way," over and over again.  
  
Kenny was the first to shake off his shock. "Our team was supposed to come at meet you guys for a beybattle challenge."  
  
Susaku raised an eyebrow at that statement, "We don't even know you guys. Why should you all of a sudden be challenging us, especially when you don't know who we are." She asked, confused.  
  
"You don't understand.." Kenny began.  
  
"Didn't Robert phone you guys, didn't he tell you we were coming? Robert told us to challenge your team; you were supposed to come to the airport to pick us up." Tyson interrupted.  
  
Cassie looked at Susaku. "Have you spoken to Robert? I don't remember talking to him recently."  
  
Susaku looked as bewildered as her friend did. "No, but do you think Jo or Aqua picked up that call?"  
  
"No way, surely they would've told us about such an important thing." Cassandra shook her head.  
  
"Yeah, but you know Jo, she could've forgot."  
  
"I guess you're right." Cassie laughed sheepishly; knowing how their team leader can be a little distracted at times. She turned to the Bladebreakers, "Sorry about that mistake." She apologized.  
  
"It's no problem, at least we found you guys in the end." Max said.  
  
"Let's go back into the house, I want to get in contact with Robert." Cassie suggested. The others agreed and followed the girls back into their mansion.  
  
Kenny looked at Cassandra and asked "The BBA Office told us that they can't find Robert anywhere, so how can you talk to him?"  
  
"We're old friends of Robert, Enrique, Johnny, and Oliver. We have their private numbers, so it's no problem." She replied.  
  
After finish talking to Robert for twenty minutes or so, the girls returned to the living room where the boys were. "Robert told us to give you his deepest apologies. It seemed that he and his team had urgent matters do deal with. Anyway, it's all solved. Why don't you bring your team and your friends over right away? They can stay here, we have lots of guest rooms."  
  
Max, Kenny, and Tyson agreed and left right away, back to their hotel. 


	9. Chapter 10

Chapter 9  
  
"So there you are. Where have you guys been? We've been out searching for you for two for hours," Ray jumped up as the door to their hotel room slammed open, and in staggered his missing teammates.  
  
"W..we..found the.. Angel team," Tyson panted, exhausted from the trip from Susaku's mansion to the hotel. He collapsed to the floor, joining Kenny and Max.  
  
Ray quickly ran to the sink and poured three glasses of water. "That's great. So what did they say? Here." He handed the water to the boys.  
  
Max finished his glass, wiping his mouth on his arm. "Thanks. They told us to all to head over there right away. It turned out that Robert forgot to phone them ahead of time. Can you believe it?"  
  
"All right you guys go on out first, I'll tell the All Stars and the White Tigers, and then we'll meet you at the front of the hotel," said Ray, stepping over Tyson and heading out the door.  
  
Tyson raised up a weary hand from his spot on the ground. "W....wait! Can't we rest a little more first? We had to run here to tell you the news."  
  
"Quit wasting time, and let's get going." Kai stood up from his spot on a nearby chair and dragged a groaning Tyson to his feet and out the door. Max and Kenny followed reluctantly. Ray laughed and shook his head, then took off for the other teams' rooms. Together, the group checked out of the hotel and started for the Fallen Angels.  
  
"Can't you guys walk faster?" Michael yelled to Tyson, Max, and the Chief, who were way behind the rest of them.  
  
Kenny shouted back with as much energy as he could muster, which wasn't much in his condition. "Don't..mind us...we'll catch up," he paused to take a breath. "..in a second."  
  
"We'd love to not mind you guys, but unfortunately we need the directions to this mansion." Michael joked.  
  
"Ha.ha.." Tyson muttered dryly. The group of friends finally made it to Susaku's, after pausing every now and then for the trailing three to catch up. The gate was opened, so they walked up to the front door, but before any of them could ring or knock on the door, it opened, and there stood Susaku and Cassie.  
  
Cassandra smiled. "Hey there strangers," she greeted Max. Kenny, and Tyson. Turning away from the three boys, she noticed the others. "Come on in." She and Susaku stepped aside welcoming their new guests. Everyone gasped in amazement at the size and beauty of the house, as their two hosts led them to one of their many rooms. They entered a brightly lit room with several soft, comfy sofas and chairs scattered about.  
  
"Have a seat," Susaku said, choosing one of the sofas and plopping down on it. The rest of the group followed suit. "Well Tyson? Aren't you going to introduce your team and friends?"  
  
Tyson stuck his tongue out at her, but did introduce everyone. After they got to know each other, the butler knocked on the door. "Excuse me miss, but dinner is ready for you and your guests."  
  
"Thank-you Charles." He nodded, bowed respectfully, and exited. Turning to her guests, Susaku announced "I hope you guys are all hungry, cause I've asked the chef to prepare an extra big meal."  
  
"Yeah, I'm totally starving. I can't believe I missed out on lunch today." Tyson exclaimed. "Lead the way to the dining room!"  
  
Smiling, Cassandra opened the door and took them down a wide hallway, took a turn at the left, walked past several more rooms and finally arrived at the enormous dining room. In the center of the room was a long table covered with all kinds of food. There were chicken, steaks, peas, corns, mash potatoes, stuff potatoes, salads, spaghetti, and just about everything else imaginable.  
  
Tyson's eyes went wide, "Wow! Oh my gosh, there's...there's so much food! Yeeaah!" Rushing past Susaku and Cassandra, he took a seat and began scooping everything within his reach onto his plate. Laughing at his excitement, Cassandra and the others too, took a seat and began their dinner.  
  
As soon as everyone was seated, the door to the dining room opened and a young girl stepped in. She had short blue hair tied into two low pigtails. She wore a loose soft green T-shirt and brown shorts. Blinking, she looked surprised to see so many people in the room.  
  
Turning around in her seat, Susaku grinned at the girl. "Aqua, you're late. Sorry we didn't wait for you." She apologized.  
  
Shaking her head, she said "It's all right." Aqua took a seat at the dinner table beside Cassandra and began to scoop some mash potatoes onto her plate. "So, are these your guests?" She asked Susaku.  
  
Susaku and Cassandra introduced the All Stars, White Tigers, and the Bladebreakers to their friend. "The Bladebreakers are the ones who want to challenge us." Susaku told Aqua.  
  
"That's great, it would be quite a match against the world champions." She smiled at Tyson, Max, Kai, Ray, and Kenny.  
  
Cassie cocked her head to one side. "Aqua, I thought you and Jo went shopping. Where is she?"  
  
Aqua started to reach for the steaks. "We were, but then halfway through it, she remembered she had to do something and left." She took a bite of the steak. "And Jo said if she couldn't make it back tonight she would spend the night at a hotel. She didn't want you guys to worry about her."  
  
"I wonder what Jo had to do that was so important. She never even mentioned it to us." Cassie thought out loud.  
  
Susaku, unlike her friend, wasn't worried at all. "Jo can take care of herself, no point worrying." The others agreed and continued their dinner. The Bladebreakers told the Fallen Angels team all about their travels to the Asian, American, and World tournaments and the people they had met. The girls then told their friends about themselves. Before long, the group were laughing and having fun as if they were old friends.  
  
As the teens continued their discussion into the late evening, they grew sleepy and tired from all the excitement. Susaku asked the boys if they would prefer to sleep in separate bedrooms or together in one of the larger rooms. They chose the second choice. Cassie invited Mariah and Emily to have a sleepover in another room with her, Aqua, and Susaku, and the two girls too agreed.  
  
Silence settled upon the mansion as all the bladers drifted off into sleep, all except one. Kai was out on the porch; he stood there, enjoying the quietness and the beauty of the stars above. Sighing, Kai put his hands in his pockets, and thought about his past. He tried to remember what his life was like before he was taken by Boris and was trained to be the greatest blader of all. This question had plagued him ever since the World Championships when Boris brought back memories of his past. Kai didn't know how long it was until he heard a noise coming from inside the house. The lights weren't turned on, but Kai could still hear someone moving around. From his spot on the porch, he had a direct view of the living room, although it was still hard to see anything. A dark shadow was walking through the room and just as the mystery person made it's way past the couches, he or she knocked into a low coffee table and let out a muffled cry of pain.  
  
"Ugghhnn"  
  
The shadow sat down on the floor and began to hold his/her leg, wincing in pain. Seeing that the person might need help, Kai walked into the living room. "Who's there?" the person asked in a soft voice. Kai realized that the person speaking was a girl.  
  
"Listen, you've hurt your leg. Do you need help?" Kai asked gruffly, making his way towards the huddled form on the ground.  
  
"Yes, thank-you." She said gratefully. Kai didn't bother turning on the lights, he was able to make out the objects in the room just fine, plus, it would wake the others up. He helped her up, putting an arm around her waist to support her as she shifted her weight on the other foot. The girl told Kai where her room was located and he helped her there. As they entered the room, Kai turned on the light and closed the door, not wanting to disturb the others that were sleeping not too far away from the girl's bedroom. Settling down onto her chair, the girl saw her rescuer for the first time, she gasped. Kai looked at her; there was an indescribable look on her face. The girl realized that the boy was staring at her and started to pull herself together. "Thank-you for helping me. I would never have made it up to my room otherwise." Kai nodded and was prepared to go back out. "You can call me Jo." She smiled. "I'm sorry and you are..?"  
  
"Kai," he answered turning back to the door again, missing the look on Jo's face. He opened the door and just before he stepped out, she called to him again.  
  
"Kai?" He stopped. "Good night."  
  
Kai grunted and closed the door behind him. Jo glanced at her leg; a bruise was already starting to form. She half limped and half dragged her feet into the bathroom; and took a bottle out of the drawer and began applying it to her bruise, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and went to bed. 'Kai.' 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
It was bright and early the next morning. The group had just finished a luxurious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, omelets, cereal, and toast, accompanied by a drink of their choice. The other teams wanted to explore the mansion and the grounds, which was fine with Susaku. There would be plenty of time to bey-battle later.  
  
The three girls were sitting in the living room, when Jo came down the stairs. They were surprised to see her back so soon. "I thought you weren't going to come back until today." Susaku asked, looking up from her magazine.  
  
Jo laughed. "I thought so too, but I finished early and was able to head back yesterday night. I knew that if I left you guys alone, you would slack off. See? I was right, not practicing your blading as usual." She joked. "Hey Susaku, did you hurt your leg?" She looked at her teammate's leg, which was still wrapped in gauze.  
  
"Hmmph, don't remind me." She huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "That so called world champion, Tyson, knocked me over and I twisted my ankle and scraped my leg."  
  
'What a coincidence.' Jo thought. "Does it still hurt now?" She shook her head. "Good, I'm sure it'll be better in no time." Jo said, wanting to make her friend feel better.  
  
"Did something happen to your leg?" Aqua asked, noticing that Jo was limping down the stairs a bit.  
  
She waved her hands, "I was too careless, but I'm fine. Really." She added when she saw the look of doubt on her teammates' faces. "By the way," She said, changing the subject. "Did you guys have guests over?"  
  
"You see, Robert set us up with the world champion beybladers for a match. The Bladebreakers came along with members of the White Tiger and the All Stars." Cassandra explained. Jo was silent for a long time. "Jo? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Huh? Oh right, uh nope, nothing's wrong." She said a little too cheerfully. "I'm going to get some breakfast. See ya." She bolted out of the room to avoid anymore questions.  
  
Aqua looked at Cassie. "What do you think is bothering her?" She asked as soon as Jo was gone. Cassie shrugged.  
  
After breakfast, Jo went outside to their backyard to practice her blading. The weather was just right, it was sunny yet there is still a cool breeze blowing. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Jo walked to her favorite spot, away from the clusters of the other training equipment. Normally this would've been a piece of cake for her, but with her leg injured it took her more than twenty minutes to hike there. The spot she chose was a huge clearing with trees on one side and a small lake on the other side. Sighing, she stretched her arms and settled down on the grass, enjoying nature's beauty. No matter how many times she visited this place, it always seemed to amaze her with its' picture perfect view of the landscape.  
  
Not too far away from Jo's spot, was Kai. He refused Max's and Tyson's offer to join them in their exploration; he needed to clear his head, too many things were troubling him. Kai walked further on, 'Why can't I remember my past? I know I was trained by Boris when I was ten. But what happened before? And why did that girl.... Jo. Why does she look so familiar?.... Have I seen her before? No, I didn't. I would know if I did. Wouldn't I? Kai slammed his fist into the trunk of a tree. "What's wrong with me?" He cried out his frustrations. He decided to continue his explorations, firmly deciding on not to think about anything else. After a while, he heard the sound of a beyblade spinning up ahead. Coming up to an open area, Kai saw the girl from last night, blading. She is good, very good. Her form is nearly perfect, she lacks concentration though, Kai noted.  
  
Sighing, Jo grabbed her red and black blade from the dish. "I just can't seem to concentrate today." She loaded her launcher again. "Let it rriipp!" This time, Jo launched her blade onto the ground. It zipped around the dish, and went into the forest, zigzagging in all directions. "What the..?" Jo exclaimed. For some strange reason, her bitbeast is not responding to her. "Firea!" Jo called, running as fast as she could with an injured leg after her beyblade, as it led her farther into the forest.  
  
Kai had been watching her when she lost control of her bitbeast. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation against his right leg. He took out his own blade; the Dranzer bit was glowing. Jo's blade burst from a bush on his right and landed spinning perfectly still at Kai's feet, it too was glowing brighter than ever. 'Dranzer seems to be responding to this blade. But why?' Kai knelt down in front of Jo's blade and was just about to pick it up, when Jo finally caught up to her runaway blade.  
  
"Firea." she said, both relieved and angry at her bitbeast. "Oh, Kai," she said, obviously surprised. 'What is he doing here in the middle of the forest?' Kai stood up and at the same time tucked his phoenix blade away. He ignored her and walked away, his Dranzer bit still glowing warmly in his pocket. Jo stood there, clutching her beyblade. "I'm sorry Firea, I didn't know," she whispered to her bitbeast. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
"Michael, have you seen Ray?" Mariah asked, coming up to the American teen. She had been looking everywhere for him. She wanted to know if they could spend some time together.  
  
Michael was rummaging in the refrigerator for a late afternoon snack. "Hey Mariah." He greeted in his casual way. "Nope sorry, I haven't seen any of the Bladebreakers ever since breakfast. But then again, you know how big this house is. It took me half an hour to find the kitchen. There's never a butler around when you need one." He complained. " By the way, why are you looking for Ray?"  
  
Trying to hide her blush, Mariah said in her most normal tone of voice. "It's nothing, I was wondering that's all." Hoping her voice did not betray her; she left Michael to his snacking, and continued on her quest to find Ray. 'I should've asked him after breakfast, but no, I had to take forty minutes just to gather up my courage and now he's nowhere to be seen.' Mariah was too busy being angry with herself to watch where she was going.  
  
"Hey watch it," someone cried, grabbing her hand.  
  
The pink-haired girl realized that she was about to walk straight into a marble statue at the end of the hallway. She turned around, and found herself staring into two orange, concerned eyes. "Ray!"  
  
He was still holding onto her hand. "Are you all right, Mariah? You had me totally scared for a second there."  
  
She blushed. 'Great, what a good impression I'm making on him. He must think I'm the biggest klutz in the universe.' "I'm okay." She replied. "Ray?"  
  
"Yeah?" he said releasing her arm, now that he's sure she's all right.  
  
"D..do you want.to take a walk with me?" Mariah stammered. 'Don't say no. Please don't say no.' She chanted inside her head. Hearing a noise from her friend, she realized that she had missed his answer. "Sorry, I kind of zoned out there, what did you say?" Her cheeks were getting redder with each passing moment.  
  
"I was thinking of the exact same thing." He repeated.  
  
"Really? That's so cool. Let's go," Mariah was beginning to regain her former self.  
  
While Ray went off with Mariah, Cassandra entered the kitchen. 'Boy, who would've thought showing the Bladebreakers around the house would be so tiring and hot. Thank goodness Su agreed to take over for a while.' She grabbed a glass, opened the fridge, and took out a container of orange juice. After pouring herself a full glass and taking several sips, she wandered off into the adjoining room. She found Michael sitting at a table with a whole plate of sandwiches in front of him. Smiling, she asked if she could join him.  
  
"Sure." He replied with a grin of his own, and waved to a seat. Cassandra gracefully sat down. "Sandwich?" Michael asked.  
  
"Thanks." Cassie said, taking a small sandwich from his plate. She took a delicate bite. "Michael, this is great." She exclaimed. Of course she had eaten sandwiches before, but this one was different. There was the usual tomatoes, lettuce, ham, but there was something else too, the sauce was unlike anything she had ever tasted. "Did you make the sauce yourself?" He nodded, taking another bite. "Michael." He looked at her, his mouth was full so he couldn't talk, but he made it clear that he was listening. "Emily told me that you are a baseball player. I have always wanted to know more about it."  
  
Polishing off his final piece of bread, Mike took a drink of water and asked, "Do you want me to teach you? It's really easy and super fun, you'll get the hang of it in no time."  
  
"Really? That would be neat. When do I get my first lesson?"  
  
"Right now. You're done aren't you? Is there an open space anywhere? And by the way, you can call me Mike."  
  
"And you may call me Cassie." Suddenly, Cassie realized that she didn't have any baseball bats or balls. She expressed her problem to Michael.  
  
"Don't worry, I have the equipment in my luggage."  
  
Cassandra's excitement returned. "I know the perfect spot. Let's go."  
  
Susaku was getting more and more impatient with her so-called loyal friend. Cassie said she was going to get a drink, and it's taking her more than half an hour! 'I absolutely, positively cannot believe she left me here with Max and Tyson. Max is okay, but aarrggh, that Tyson is getting on my last nerve. He's bugging me on purpose, I just know it!'  
  
"Susaku! What's this room for? Hey who's that in the painting? How big is this place? It's like a huge maze or something. Where does this hallway lead to anyway? Max, check out that funny looking sculpture thingy over there in that room! Do you have any pets? I wanted one but my Grandpa wouldn't allow it in the dojo. That's where I live by the way. Yup, my Grandpa teaches kendo. Have you tried it before Su? Did you know that.." Tyson blabbered on.  
  
"Tyson!" Susaku turned around, very annoyed. "You have been talking non-stop for the past forty minutes. I'll say this for the hundredth time..Give me a break! Just for once could you be quiet for at least one minute? Honestly, you can be so.so.arrgghh." She gave up on trying to find a word to describe him. No one can blame her though, after listening to Tyson for an hour and a half; she had lost her sanity a long time ago. She desperately hoped that Cassie would come back any second now, that's the only thing that keeps her going.  
  
Tyson snickered. He knew he was annoying her, and he knew that wasn't nice, but still, it was funny.  
  
Max looked at Tyson. "Come on, give the poor girl a rest," he whispered. He didn't tell Tyson this but he was kind of getting fed up with Tyson's chattering too.  
  
"Oh all right. I'll be good. Besides, I was running out of things to say anyway." Max groaned. "Hey Susaku," Tyson called.  
  
She turned around wearily. "Now what?" she muttered to herself. Placing a super fake smile on her face, she said as sweetly as she could. "Yes Tyson? Can I help you Tyson?"  
  
He grinned. "Me and my buddy Max here was thinking of postponing the rest of the tour until tomorrow. We want to get in some blading."  
  
'Thank goodness. If this continued on for five more minutes, I'll be heading for the mental hospital.' "Sure, let's continue tomorrow. See ya," with that Su ran as fast as she could away from Tyson. 'And now to find out where the heck Cassie went.' 


End file.
